Cigarette extinguisher



A. R. ANDRE CIGARE May 15, 1956 TTE EXTINGUISHER Filed Jan. 14, 1953 INVENTOR. 14am Q ANDRE CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Allen R. Andre, Minneapolis, Application January 14, 1953, Serial No. 331,260

Claims. (Cl. 131'256) This invention relates to a cigarette extinguisher and more particularly to a water-containing cigarette extinguishing device for mounting within an automobile in convenient location for use by the occupants.

Under normal circumstances, cigarette smokers who are riding in an automobile will either throw away their cigarette butts through a window or door of. the car or will place them in an ordinary ash tray supplied as standard equipment for the automobile. In the first instance, the glowing embers of the cigarette are apt to ignite combustible material at the side of the road or the automobile while traveling along a road or standing still. Sometimes a cigarette throw from the front window of an automobile will be carried rearwardly and back into the car through the back window. The upbolstering of the automobile is often ruined before the tire is discovered and sometimes an automobile may be completely burned. Where the occupant of the automobile puts the glowing cigarette in the ash tray, there are usually a number of other cigarette butts already present and it becomes diihcult to completely extinguish the embers. Oftentimes, the cigarette which has been freshly placed in the ash tray Will continue to burn and ignite the other cigarette butts therein.

it is, therefore, an important object of the invention to provide a device for extinguishing cigarette which will easily and quickly quench the embers of a cigarette preparatory to throwing the cigarette butt out of the car or putting it into the regular ash tray provided as standard equipment in the car.

When the driver of the automobile attempts to open the window or door of the car or where he desires to extinguish his cigarette in astandard ash tray he must normally divert his attention from driving and therefore endanger himself as well as other persons on and about the road upon which he is driving. Other prior art devices have been proposed for disposing of cigarette butts in an automobile, but these devices, to the best of my knowledge, are either located in such an awkward position as to make them unhandy for extinguishing cigarettes while driving or must require some extra act such as actuating a handle member, pushing buttons, etc. it is another object of this invention to provide a cigarette quenching device which will overcome the necessity for diverting the drivers attention and will be a handily and easily positioned member to suit the needs of the occupants of the car without permanently disfiguring the dashboard or other internal area of the car and without requiring any particularly preselected position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a receptacle adapted to contain water for quenching the burning embers of a cigarette in which the water for that purpose will be maintained in readiness and be preserved against spilling or accidental loss.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following descripnited States Patent tion made in connection with the accompanying draw- 2 ings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. l is a top view of my device mounted upon a an automobile instrument panel, certain parts being shown insection;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l to show my extinguishing device with a burning cigarette butt placed in operative position; and! Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the upper portion of' my extinguishing device, the closure being in covering relation with the wick while not performing an extinguishing operation.

Referring now more, particularly to the drawing, my cigarette extinguisher comprises generally an upstanding receptacle or container R which is capable of holding extinguishing or quenching fluid F therein. I prefer that the container begene'rally rectangular with sides it and the fiat front 11 and a similar surfaced rear 12. A mount 13 is attached to the rear surface 12 for securing the receptacle to the instrumenttpanel or dashboard D of an ordinary automobile. The mount. 13 ispreferably formed of a magnetic material having poles 16 and 17 with an intermediate space 18 separating the poles 16 and 17. On the contacting faces of poles 16 and 17 a soft thin layer of material such as felt 19may be placed so as to prevent scratchin'gof the panel surface of dashboard D. The mount 13 may be secured by suitable means to receptacle K, said means preferably comprising an adhesive contact20.

In order to extinguish a cigarette 22, I provide means for indirectly transmitting quenching fluid F by wick action to the glowing end thereof. The receptacle R4 is provided with an upper top portion 23 through which a restricted opening 21 extends. It is preferred that the surface of the top 23. be flat. A wick 24 extends from the inner space of receptacle R and in contact with fluid F upwardly through the restrictedlopening 21 with the top 25 lyingl substantially in .the plane of the top 23 or slightly above the saidplane. A closure C may be provided for the restricted opening 21 on receptacle R, said closure overlying the flat surface of top 23 and extending rearwardly to a pivot 26 adjacent the upper end of the receptacle R; The closure C is resiliently urged about pivot 26' toward'tli'e top 23 by such means as coil spring 27, one end 28 of which rests against the rear surface 12" of the receptacle R2 and the other end 29 of which bears against the rearwardly extending portion of closure C. It is understood that the closure C will form substantially a water tightand'vapor tight seal with the top 23 of the receptacle R when: in its resiliently closed position as-shown in Fig. 3. Since the wick 24 may extend slightly above the plane of the flat top 23, I provide an upwardly idented or oflset portion 30 at the medial portion of the closure C which overlies the upper end 25 of the wick 24. The closure C further has provision for gripping a cigarette 22 under a curved abutment or clamp portion 31 of the forwardly extending lip 32.

In use and operation of my cigarette extinguishing device, I place the receptacle R at a convenient location on a dashboard D. The receptacle R may then be filled or may have been filled with quenching fluid F. The fluid may comprise simply water or may comprise a noncombustible fluid of other nature and may further have deodorant properties for eliminating the odors of stagnant tobacco smoke within the car. To extinguish a cigarette butt 22, it may be placed with its glowing end under the lip 32 of closure C and the closure raised against the resilient action of spring 27. The cigarette butt 22 is then shifted until it is engaged by the curved portion 31 and in contact with the upper end 25 of wick 24. I may then leave the butt 22 in this position for a sufli- Phtented May 15,.1956

cient time for the fluid F to again advance by wick f of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A cigarette extinguisher for autombiles comprising 1 an elongated upright receptacle for holding quenching fluid, said receptacle having a restricted opening at the upper end of said receptacle for sparingly feeding said quenching fluid therethrough, and a closure normally resiliently urged against the upper end .of said receptacle and over said restricted opening for preventing evaporation and spilling of the fluid, said closure being movable to an open position with respect to said restricted opening for releasably'holding a burning cigarette butt adjacent the burning end thereof and in communication with quenching fluid fed from said restricted opening whereby the fluid will be absorbed within the cigarette butt through wick action therein until the glowing end has been quenched. v

2. A cigarette extinguisher for automobiles comprising an elongated upright receptaclerforjholding quenche ing fluid, said receptacle having a restricted opening at the upper end thereof for sparingly feeding said quenching fluid to a burning cigarette butt positioned thereagainst, a closure normally resiliently urged against the upper end of said receptacle and over said restricted opening for preventing evaporation and spilling of the fluid fluid will be absorbed within the cigarette butt through wick action therein until the glowing end has beenquenched.

3. A cigarette extinguisher for automobiles comprising an elongated upright receptacle for'holding quenching fluid, said receptacle having a restricted opening at the upper end thereof, a wick element extending from the medial inner portion of said receptacle upwardly through said opening and terminating substantially in the plane of the top of the receptacle, and a closure normally resiliently urged downwardly toward the top of said receptacle and overlying said restricted opening for preventing evaporation and spilling of the fluid, said do sure being movable to'an open position with respect" to said restricted opening for resiliently clamping 'a burning cigarette butt against the upper end of said wick and adjacent the burning end thereof whereby quenching fluid within said receptacle will be transmitted through wick action to the burning end of said cigarette. 4. A cigarette extinguisher for an automobile compris ing an. elongated upright receptacle for holding quenchf i ing fluid said receptacle having a restricted opening at the upper end thereof, a wick element positioned in said- I restricted opening and extending slightly aboversaid top,1

and downwardly within the receptacle and for contacting fluid contained therein, magnetic means for mounting; the receptacle on a metallic surface of said automobile,-

and a closure pivotally mounted at the upperend of said receptacle: and resiliently urged downwardly against the top thereof in overlying relation with said restricted opening and the top of said wick, isaid closure having upwardly indented central portion and an abutment member adjacent thereto adapted to releasably hold a burning cigarette butt adjacent the burning end thereof and in communication with the top of said wick whereby 1 quenching fluid will be fed from-the inner portion of said receptacle to the burning end thereof until the glowing end has been quenched.

5. A cigarette extinguisher for an automobile com prising an elongated upright receptacle. for holding quenching fluid, magnetic means for mounting the r'eceptacle on a metallic. surface of an automobile, saidjreceptacle having a restricted opening at the'upper end of said receptacle for sparingly feeding said quenchingfluid therethrough, and a closure normally resiliently urged,

against the upper end of 'said receptacle and over said restricted opening for preventing evaporation and spilling of the fluid, said closure being movable to an open p0 sition with respect to said restricted opening for releasably holding a burning cigarette butt adjacent the burning end thereof and in fluidcontacting communication with the quenching fluid fed from said restricted opening whereby the fluid will be absorbed within the cigarette butt through wick action therein until theglowing end has been quenched.

References Cited in the file o'f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great, Britain Aug. 5, 1948 

